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Qatari Opposition Meets in London

Spokesperson for the Qatari opposition Khalid al-Hail. Asharq Al-Awsat
Spokesperson for the Qatari opposition Khalid al-Hail. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Qatari Opposition Meets in London

Spokesperson for the Qatari opposition Khalid al-Hail. Asharq Al-Awsat
Spokesperson for the Qatari opposition Khalid al-Hail. Asharq Al-Awsat

As Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives in Ankara on Thursday, Qatar’s opposition plans to hold a conference in London in the presence of world-renowned figures.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, organizers said the conference’s schedule was set in great secrecy because of concerns that the Qatari regime would try to foil the event and exert pressure on members of the British parliament to boycott it.

The conference will be attended by several world-renowned political figures, policymakers, academics and commentators who will discuss human rights, press freedom and counter-terrorism in Qatar.

The Qatar Global Security & Stability Conference will also highlight “the true facts about Qatar that are not being voiced because of the power wielded by the current regime in Qatar.”

Spokesperson for the Qatari opposition, Khalid al-Hail said that the conference will be divided into five main sessions: Political Islam and terrorism support in Qatar, Qatar and Iran’s Foreign Policy: A Source for Regional Instability, Al Jazeera: Free Press vs. Voice of terror?, A forbidden debate: Qatar’s Aspirations for Global Prestige, Democracy and Human Rights, and finally, A Vicious Circle: Economy, Geopolitics and Global Energy Security.

The conference will be held as Qatar’s Emir is scheduled to hold talks in Ankara on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the latest developments of the Qatari crisis, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency.
  
On Wednesday, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah met with Erdogan in Ankara during a visit to Turkey that will last until next Saturday.

Turkish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Erdogan and the Kuwaiti premier raised the issue of the Qatari crisis with the four anti-terror Arab States in addition to Kuwait’s efforts exerted to solve the rift.

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Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Taiwan is investigating who is responsible for modifying the pagers that were turned into explosives in the hands of the Lebanese people, including members of Hezbollah.

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang told Asharq Al-Awsat that 260,000 pagers were exported from his country between 2022 and 2024, and 16 percent of them were sent to the United States and Europe.

He expressed his regret that the pagers were planted with explosives that were used in the attack in Lebanon last month, clarifying that the devices were not directly exported from Taiwan to Lebanon.

He explained that the components of the device are made of material that is not liable to explode.

Apollo Gold, the Taiwanese company that exported the pagers between 2022 and 2024, has never received any complaints that its devices have caused harm or exploded.

The attack in Lebanon has raised several questions and they are being probed by authorities in Taiwan, he went on to say.

One thing is for certain, the devices were not harmful in the shape they were exported from the country, stressed Chang.

Asked about whether the attack may harm Taiwan’s economy, he replied that his country’s industry sector has a strong reputation that will be difficult to undermine given the trust it has from clients.

The size of the sector and Taiwan’s investments cannot be measured by a small number of pagers, as they only make up a mere fraction in the country’s trade relations with countries all over the world, he stressed.

Separately, Chang revealed that Taiwan was considering cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the chip industry, saying he was optimistic over the broad potential for cooperation in the technology sector.

There are no limits to the cooperation between them, he added.

Taiwan constantly wants to maintain the relations and discuss opportunities for joint investments, he stated.

Taiwan was among the first countries to leap to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields to help the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chang said.